Support garment

ABSTRACT

Aspects herein provide for a support garment having a vibration damping structure that is positioned between the breast contacting surfaces of the support garment. The vibration damping structure has a shape and/or material characteristics that enable it to substantially fill the space defined by a medial aspect of the wearer&#39;s breasts and the wearer&#39;s sternum. This positioning and placement facilitate the damping structure&#39;s ability to absorb and dissipate impact forces generated at least through the medial-to-lateral movement of the wearer&#39;s breasts during, for example, athletic activities.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application having attorney docket number 345223/160383US03 andentitled “Support Garment,” is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/901,651, entitled “Support Garment,” and filedFeb. 21, 2018,which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Prov. App.No. 62/463,286, entitled “Support Garment,” and filed Feb. 24, 2017. Theentireties of the aforementioned applications are incorporated byreference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects herein relate to a support garment configured to support awearer's breasts.

BACKGROUND

Conventional support garments, including those configured to providesupport during athletic activities, such as bras, generally providesupport through encapsulation and/or compression of a wearer's breasts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Examples of the present invention are described in detail below withreference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a support garment having an exemplary vibrationdamping structure in accordance with aspects herein;

FIGS. 2-4 illustrate exemplary partial cross sections of a supportgarment having a vibration damping structure as worn by a wearer inaccordance with aspects herein;

FIGS. 5-6 illustrate exemplary front views of different shapeconfigurations for a vibration damping structure for use in a supportgarment in accordance with aspects herein;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary side view of a vibration dampingstructure in accordance with aspects herein;

FIGS. 8-9 illustrate additional examples of support garments havingexemplary vibration damping structures in accordance with aspectsherein;

FIG. 10 illustrates a support garment having an alternative exemplaryvibration damping structure in accordance with aspects herein;

FIG. 11 depicts a front perspective view of the exemplary vibrationdamping structure of FIG. 10 in accordance with aspects herein; and

FIG. 12 depicts a side view of the exemplary vibration damping structureof FIG. 11 in accordance with aspects herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter of the present invention is described withspecificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, thedescription itself is not intended to limit the scope of thisdisclosure. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed ordisclosed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, toinclude different steps or combinations of steps similar to the onesdescribed in this document, in conjunction with other present or futuretechnologies. Moreover, although the terms “step” and/or “block” mightbe used herein to connote different elements of methods employed, theterms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order amongor between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when theorder of individual steps is explicitly stated.

At a high level, aspects herein relate to a support garment, such as abra, having a vibration damping structure configured to reduce at leastmedial-to-lateral sway, movement, or vibration of a wearer's breastsduring, for instance, athletic activities. The vibration dampingstructure may also be configured to reduce superior-to-inferiormovement, bounce, or vibration during athletic activities. In exemplaryaspects, the support garment comprises breast contacting surfacesconfigured to cover the wearer's breasts, and the vibration dampingstructure may be positioned between the breast contacting surfaces. Thevibration damping structure has a shape configuration and/or materialcharacteristics such that it is configured to occupy, or at leastpartially occupy, the space defined at least by the medial aspect of thewearer's breasts and the wearer's sternum (commonly known as thewearer's cleavage).

In exemplary aspects, the vibration damping structure is composed of amaterial that exhibits mechanical characteristics that facilitate itsability to absorb and dissipate forces transmitted to the material bythe wearer's breasts. For instance, the material may be selected to bemore compressible (i.e., less stiff) than breast tissue so that thematerial deforms to a greater extent than the wearer's breast tissuewhen the wearer's breasts contact the material. This is important forallowing the transmission of the impact force from the wearer's breaststo the material and the subsequent absorption and dissipation of theimpact force by the material. An exemplary stiffness for the materialmay be less than or equal about 15 N/mm. The material may also beselected to exhibit a relatively high rate of energy return (i.e., thepercentage of input energy that is recovered during rebound). Forexample, the material may be selected to exhibit an energy return offrom about 70% to about 90%. Having a relatively high percentage ofenergy return enables the material to “mold” to the shape of thewearer's breasts so that the vibration damping structure not only fillsthe space between the wearer's breasts but also conforms or molds atleast partially around the medial aspects of the wearer's breasts. Bybeing in contact with the wearer's breasts, the vibration dampingstructure is better able to absorb and dissipate forces generated by thebreasts during movement.

Accordingly, aspects herein are directed to a support garment comprisingat least a front portion. The front portion comprises a pair of breastcontacting surfaces configured to cover a wearer's breasts when thesupport garment is in an as-worn configuration and a vibration dampingstructure positioned between the pair of breast contacting surfaces sothat when the support garment is in the as-worn configuration thevibration damping structure is configured to occupy a space defined atleast by the medial aspect of the wearer's breasts and the wearer'ssternum.

Another aspect herein provides for a support garment comprising at leasta front portion comprising a pair of breast contacting surfacesconfigured to cover a wearer's breasts when the support garment is in anas-worn configuration, and a first vibration damping structurepositioned between the pair of breast contacting surfaces, where thevibration damping structure has a stiffness less than or equal about 15N/mm and an energy return characteristic from about 70% to about 90%.

Yet another aspect herein provides for a support garment comprising atleast a front portion. The front portion comprises a pair of breastcontacting surfaces, each breast contacting surface having aninner-facing surface and an outer-facing surface opposite theinner-facing surface, the inner-facing surface and the outer-facingsurface of each breast contacting surface defining a first averagethickness therebetween, and a vibration damping structure positionedbetween the pair of breast contacting surfaces, the vibration dampingstructure having an inner-facing surface and an outer-facing surfaceopposite the inner-facing surface, the inner-facing surface and theouter-facing surface of the vibration damping structure defining asecond average thickness therebetween, wherein the second averagethickness is greater than the first average thickness.

Positional terms used herein such as “superior,” “inferior,” “medial,”“lateral,” and the like are to be given their common anatomical meaningwith respect to the support garment being worn as intended by ahypothetical wearer standing in anatomical position. The phrase“configured to contact” or other similar phrases as used when describingthe location of a structure on the support garment with respect to awearer is to be construed based on a support garment appropriately sizedfor the wearer. The term support garment as used herein relates to anystyle or type of support garment used to support breast tissue.Exemplary support garments may comprise bras as that term is known inthe art (sport bras, conventional bras, and the like), camisoles,swimwear, or other garments with built-in support. Further, the term“breast contacting surface” is meant to encompass any type of structurethat is in contact with the wearer's breasts. For instance, each breastcontacting surface may comprise a breast cup such as a molded cup, or anunmolded cup. The breast contacting surfaces may comprise separatedistinct components with each contacting surface configured to cover aseparate breast, or the breast contacting surfaces may comprise aunitary or continuous band of material that makes contact with both ofthe wearer's breasts. Any and all aspects, and any variation thereof,are contemplated as being within aspects herein.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a front perspective view of an exemplary supportgarment 100 with a vibration damping structure 105 is shown being wornby a wearer in accordance with aspects herein. In exemplary aspects, thesupport garment 100, shown in the form of a bra, may comprise a pair ofbreast contacting surfaces 110 and 111 configured to cover a wearer'sright and left breasts respectively, a pair of shoulder straps 112configured to extend over the wearer's shoulders, and an underband 114configured to be positioned under the wearer's breasts when the supportgarment 100 is worn. In exemplary aspects, the shoulder straps 112 maybe optional. For example, the support garment 100 may be constructed asa bandeau-style garment. Moreover, although shown as a distinctcomponent, the underband 114 may also be optional. For instance, whenthe support garment 100 is in the form of a top, the underband 114 maynot be present or may comprise a bottom margin of the top. Any and allaspects, and any variations thereof, are contemplated as being withinaspects herein.

Continuing, although not shown, the support garment 100 furthercomprises a back portion connected to the front of the support garment100 via, for instance, the shoulder straps 112 and/or the underband 114as it extends circumferentially around the torso of a wearer. Further,the back portion of the support garment 100 may be configured as aracerback-style, a conventional style, and the like. Any and allaspects, and any variation thereof, are contemplated as being withinaspects herein.

In exemplary aspects, the support garment 100 comprises the vibrationdamping structure 105 (shown in dashed lines to indicate it is hiddenfrom view). The vibration damping structure 105 is configured to bepositioned between the breast contacting surfaces 110 and 111. Moreparticularly, the vibration damping structure 105 is positioned betweena medial aspect of the right breast contacting surface 110 and a medialaspect of the left breast contacting surface 111. As will be explainedmore fully below, the vibration damping structure 105 has a shapeconfiguration and/or has material characteristics that enable it to fillthe void or space between the wearer's breasts. That is, the vibrationdamping structure 105 has a shape configuration and/or has materialcharacteristics that enable it to completely fill or at leastsubstantially fill the space or void defined by at least the medialaspects of the wearer's breasts and the wearer's sternum (i.e., thewearer's cleavage) so that when the support garment 100 is in an as-wornconfiguration, at least the medial aspects of the wearer's breasts areconfigured to be in contact with the vibration damping structure 105.

In another aspect, the support garment 100 may also optionally havevibration damping structures 116 positioned at a lateral aspect of theright and left breast contacting surfaces 110 and 111 (only thevibration damping structure 116 adjacent to the lateral aspect of theleft breast contacting surface 111 is shown in FIG. 1 due to theperspective view). The vibration damping structures 116 may be used tohelp absorb and dissipate forces imparted by the wearer's breasts whenmoving in a lateral direction.

Continuing, and as shown in FIG. 8, in yet another aspect, a supportgarment 800 may comprise an exemplary vibration damping structure 810comprising a unitary and continuous structure extending from betweenbreast contacting surfaces 805 and 806, inferior to the breastcontacting surfaces 805 and 806 and terminating along the lateral sidesof the breast contacting surfaces 805 and 806. In still yet anotheraspect, and as shown in FIG. 9, a support garment 900 may comprise anexemplary vibration damping structure 905 having a unitary andcontinuous structure extending across the substantially all of the frontportion of the support garment 900 (i.e., between breast contactingsurfaces 910 and 911 as indicated by reference numeral 912, across thebreast contacting surfaces 910 and 911, and extending over the lateralaspects of the breast contacting surfaces 910 and 911). With respect tothe support garment 900, the thickness of the vibration dampingstructure positioned adjacent to the breast contacting surfaces 910 and911 is contemplated as being thinner than the thickness of the vibrationdamping structure positioned between the medial aspects of the breastcontacting surfaces 910 and 911 (indicated by reference numeral 912) soas not to substantially increase the overall weight of the bra and/orproduce an undesired aesthetic.

Returning to FIG. 1, in exemplary aspects, the vibration dampingstructure 105 is configured to absorb and dissipate impact forcesimparted to the structure 105 by the wearer's breasts as commonly occursduring, for example, athletic activities. The absorption and dissipationof the impact forces may occur through mechanical deformation of thevibration damping structure 105 (i.e., passive damping). Moreparticularly, due to the positioning of the vibration damping structure105 between the wearer's breasts, the damping structure 105 may beoptimized to dissipate impact forces generated through themedial-to-lateral movement of the wearer's breasts. Further, as will bemore fully explained below, the vibration damping structure 105 may alsohave a shape configuration optimized to additionally absorb anddissipate impact forces generated through the superior-to-inferiormovement of the wearer's breasts.

Continuing, to be able to both absorb and dissipate the forces,materials for the vibration damping structures 105 and/or 116 areselected to exhibit certain mechanical characteristics. For example, inexemplary aspects, the material selected to form the vibration dampingstructures 105 and/or 116 may exhibit a stiffness less than or equal toabout 15 N/mm (the term “about” as used herein means within ±10% of agiven value). Stiffness may be defined as the extent to which a materialresists deformation in response to an applied force. In general, thestiffness of the material used to form the vibration damping structures105 and/or 116 is selected to be less than the average stiffness ofbreast tissue. As such, the material of the damping structures 105and/or 116 may be selected to deform (e.g., undergo mechanicaldeformation) to a greater extent than the breast tissue upon contact ofthe breast tissue with the material, thereby enabling the material toabsorb and/or dissipate any impact forces from the breast tissue. It iscontemplated herein, that the stiffness of the material used to form thevibration damping structures 105 and/or 116 may be customized dependingon the likely size and/or firmness of the breasts that will be supportedby the support garment 100. For example, larger and/or more firmerbreasts may generate larger impact forces as compared to smallerbreasts. As such, a material with a greater stiffness (e.g., a stiffnessbetween, for instance, from about 7 N/mm to about 15 N/mm) may beselected for support garments configured for large-breasted women and/orwoman who may have firmer breast tissue.

Another mechanical characteristic that contributes to the ability of thedamping structures 105 and/or 116 to dampen breast vibrations is itsenergy return where energy return may be defined as the amount of energystored by the vibration damping structures 105 and/or 116 that isreturned when the load is removed (as opposed to dissipating as heat).In exemplary aspects, the material used to form the vibration dampingstructures 105 and/or 116 is selected to have an energy return fromabout 70% to about 90%. Having a relatively high rate of energy returnmay enable the vibration damping structures 105 and/or 116 to conform ormold around a wearer's breasts. For instance, the vibration dampingstructure 105, due to having a high energy return, may be configured tomold around at least the medial aspect of the wearer's breasts, and thevibration damping structure 116 may be configured to mold around atleast a portion of the lateral aspect of the wearer's breasts. This, inturn, facilitates the damping structures 105 and/or 116 being able toabsorb and dissipate forces transmitted to the structures 105 and/or 116by the wearer's breasts.

An additional mechanical property that may be exhibited by the materialforming the vibration damping structures 105 and/or 116 is its abilityto withstand normal loads or forces imparted by the wearer's breasttissue during impact without plastically deforming. For example, thevibration damping structures 105 and/or 116 may have a maximum limitload of about 10 Newtons (N), 20 N, 30 N, 40 N, 50 N, 60 N, 70 N, 80 N,90 N, or 100 N (and/or values in between) before undergoing plasticdeformation.

Exemplary materials selected to form the vibration damping structures105 and/or 116 may comprise open cell foams, closed cell foams, spacermesh materials, spring-like structures (e.g., resilient coilstructures), beads (e.g., Styrofoam beads), hollow and flexible pipestructures formed from, for instance, monofilaments and other yarns,non-woven materials such as, for example, Breathair™ manufactured byToyoba Co., Ltd. of Osaka, Japan, air-filled pillows or bladders,injected molded materials, extruded materials, three-dimensional printedstructures, and the like. All of these materials are capable ofundergoing some type of mechanical deformation in response to an impactforce. Besides exhibiting the mechanical characteristics describedabove, materials may also be selected to promote breathability (i.e.,the transmission of moisture vapor through a material) of the vibrationdamping structures 105 and/or 116.

The vibration damping structures 105 and/or 116 may be incorporated intothe support garment 100 in a number of ways. In one example, thevibration damping structures 105 and/or 116 may be integrated directlyinto the support garment 100 by affixing the structures 105 and/or 116directly to inner-facing surfaces of the breast contacting surfaces 110and 111 and/or the support garment 100. Affixing may occur by stitching,bonding, adhesives, welding, use of buttons, snaps, hook-and-loopfasteners, and the like. Affixing may comprise permanently or releasablyaffixing the vibrations damping structures 105 and/or 116 to the supportgarment 100.

In a second example, the vibration damping structures 105 and/or 116 maybe enclosed between layers of fabric, and the layers of fabric may beaffixed to inner-facing surfaces of the breast contacting surfaces 110and 111 and/or support garment 100. In this example, the dampingstructures 105 and/or 116 may not be directly affixed to the breastcontacting surfaces 110 and 111 but, instead, be indirectly affixed tothe breast contacting surfaces 110 and 111 via the fabric layers. In yetanother example, when the breast contacting surfaces 110 and 111 areformed from two or more layers of fabric, the damping structures 105and/or 116 may be positioned between the fabric layers. It iscontemplated herein, that in one aspect, the fabric selected to form theouter-facing portion of the vibration damping structure 105 may be anon-stretch material so as to limit expansion of the vibration dampingstructure 105 in an anterior direction. This not only facilitates wearercomfort but may improve the aesthetics of the support garment 100. Aswell, limiting anterior expansion of the damping structures 105 and/or116 may help to maintain the overall stiffness and energy return of thedamping structures 105 and/or 116.

In another aspect, the vibration damping structures 105 and/or 116 maycomprise integral extensions of the breast contacting surfaces 110 and111. For instance, a knitting, weaving, and/or molding process used toform the breast contacting surfaces 110 and 111 may be modified to formthe vibration damping structures 105 and/or 116. In this aspect, thedamping structures 105 and/or 116 would comprise one or more of the sameyarns or materials used to form the breast contacting surfaces 110 and111.

Continuing, in yet another aspect, the support garment 100 may comprisepockets into which the vibration damping structures 105 and/or 116 maybe inserted when needed. Thus, when the wearer is not engaging inathletic activities, the wearer may choose not to insert the structures105 and/or 116 into their respective pockets. However, when the wearerengages in athletic activities, the wearer can insert one or both of thestructures 105 and/or 116 into their respective pockets. With respect tothe vibration damping structure 105, in some aspects, the supportgarment 100 may comprise straps configured to be positioned over thevibration damping structure 105 when the wearer engages in athleticactivities. For instance, in some aspects, the vibration dampingstructure 105 may be configured to not completely fill the space betweenthe wearer's breasts to improve wearer comfort when the wearer is notexercising. When the wearer wishes to exercise, the wearer can positionthe straps (or other types of tensioning structures) over anouter-facing surface of the vibration damping structure 105. The tensionimparted by the straps helps to position the vibration damping structure105 so that it substantially fills (e.g., fills about 60%, 70%, 80%,90%, and/or 100%) the space between the wearer's breasts. Any and allaspects, and any variation thereof, are contemplated as being withinaspects herein.

FIGS. 2-4 are provided to illustrate how an exemplary vibration dampingstructure, such as the vibration damping structure 105 of FIG. 1, isconfigured to fill, or substantially fill, the space defined by themedial aspects of the wearer's breasts and the wearer's sternum inaccordance with aspects herein. FIGS. 2-4 represent partialcross-sections taken at the approximate top (superior part) of thewearer's breasts, the approximate mid-point of the wearer's breasts, andat the approximate lower part (inferior part) of the wearer's breastsrespectively. With respect to FIGS. 2-4, the wearer's body is indicatedby the reference numeral 210.

Using FIG. 2 as a representative example, in exemplary aspects, eachbreast contacting surface 110, 111 comprises an inner-facing surface 212configured to face toward the wearer's body surface 210 and anouter-facing surface 214 configured to face away from the wearer's bodysurface 210. The inner-facing surface 212 and the outer-facing surface214 define a first thickness 216 extending between these two surfaces.

Continuing, the vibration damping structure 105 also comprises aninner-facing surface 218 and an outer-facing surface 220. Theinner-facing surface 218 and the outer-facing surface 220 of thevibration damping structure 105 define a second thickness 222 extendingbetween the two surfaces 218 and 220. In exemplary aspects, theouter-facing surface 220 of the vibration damping structure 105 may begenerally co-planar with the outer-facing surface 214 of the breastcontacting surfaces 110 as measured from, for instance, an apex regionof the breast contacting surfaces 110 and 111 (the region extending thefurthest anteriorly when the support garment 100 is in an as-wornconfiguration).

In exemplary aspects, the second thickness 222 varies from a superioraspect of the vibration damping structure 105 (best seen in FIG. 2), toan approximate mid-point of the vibration damping structure 105 (bestseen in FIG. 3), to an inferior aspect of the vibration dampingstructure 105 (best seen in FIG. 4) to produce an overall averagethickness 222. More particularly, the second thickness 222 may graduallyincrease from the superior aspect of the damping structure 105 to theapproximate mid-point of the vibration damping structure 105 and thengradually decrease from the approximate mid-point of the dampingstructure 105 to the inferior aspect of the vibration damping structure105. This gradation in thickness is meant to mimic the normal anatomy ofa wearer's cleavage. By varying the second thickness 222 of thevibration damping structure 105 as described, the damping structure 105can organically fill the space between the wearer's breasts. Inexemplary aspects, the average thickness 222 of the vibration dampingstructure 105 (averaged over the superior, middle, and inferior portionsof the structure 105) is greater than the first thickness 216 of thebreast contacting surfaces 110 and 111. For instance, the averagethickness 222 of the vibration damping structure 105 may be at leastabout two times, three times, four times, five times, or greater thanthe thickness of the breast contacting surfaces 110 and 110. This isopposed to most traditional bra structures where the thickness of thecenter portion that connects the two breast contacting surfaces isgenerally the same as, or even less than, the thickness of the breastcontacting surfaces.

It is contemplated herein that the varying thickness 222 of thevibration damping structure 105 may not be symmetrical with respect tothe approximate horizontal mid-point of the damping structure 105. Forexample, most breasts generally have a greater volume of tissue towardsthe inferior aspect of the breasts as compared to a superior aspect ofthe breasts when the wearer is standing. Thus, the thickness of thedamping structure 105 may be generally greater at the inferior portionof the vibration damping structure 105 and thinner at the superiorportion of the vibration damping structure 105. Any and all aspects, andany variation thereof, are contemplated as being within aspects herein.

FIGS. 5-7 depict some exemplary shapes for vibration damping structuressuch as the vibration damping structure 105 in accordance with aspectsherein. FIGS. 5-6 depict front views of exemplary vibration dampingstructures, and FIG. 7 depicts a side view of an exemplary vibrationdamping structure. With respect to FIG. 5, an exemplary vibrationdamping structure 500 is defined by a perimeter shape comprising asuperior margin 510, an inferior margin 512, and opposing lateralmargins 514 and 516. The superior margin 510 is configured to bepositioned at a superior aspect of a wearer's breasts, the inferiormargin 512 is configured to be positioned at an inferior aspect of thewearer's breasts, and the lateral margins 514 and 516 are configured tobe positioned adjacent to a medial aspect of the wearer's breasts. Asshown in FIG. 5, the lateral margins 514 and 516 extend convexly awayfrom a vertical midline of the damping structure 500. By extendingconvexly away from the vertical midline, the lateral margins 514 and 516may be configured to fully contact the medial aspect of the wearer'sbreasts when the vibration damping structure 500 is incorporated into asupport garment.

FIG. 6 depicts an alternative shape configuration for a vibrationdamping structure 600 in accordance with aspects herein. The vibrationdamping structure 600 has a perimeter shape that mimics an hourglassshape. That is, a superior portion 610 and an inferior portion 612 ofthe damping structure have a greater width than a mid-portion 614 of thestructure 600. More particularly, as shown in FIG. 6, width 616 of thesuperior portion 610 and width 618 of the inferior portion 612 aregenerally greater than width 620 of the mid-portion 614. It iscontemplated herein that the width 616 of the superior portion 610 maybe the same as, greater than, or less than the width 618 of the inferiorportion 612.

Continuing, the shape configuration of the damping structure 600 may beoptimized to provide damping to impact forces generated not only throughmedial-to-lateral movement of the wearer's breasts but also to impactforces generated through superior-to-inferior movement of the wearer'sbreasts. For instance, the shape configuration of the structure 600 issuch that the superior portion 610 may extend along and be in contactwith at least a portion of the superior aspect of the wearer's breasts,and the inferior portion 612 may extend along and be in contact with atleast a portion of the inferior aspect of the wearer's breasts. Thus,the superior and inferior portions 610 and 612 may be positioned to helpabsorb and dissipate impact forces generated by the wearer's breastsduring superior-to-inferior movement of the breasts.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of an exemplary vibration dampingstructure 700 in accordance with aspects herein. The vibration dampingstructure 700 may comprise, for example, the vibration damping structure105 of FIG. 1 or the vibration damping structures 500 and 600 of FIGS. 5and 6. The vibration damping structure 700 may comprise a superioraspect 710, an inferior aspect 712, an anterior aspect 714, and aposterior aspect 716 in relation to the damping structure 700 beingincorporated into a support garment worn by a wearer. As described abovewith respect to FIGS. 2-4, the vibration damping structure 700 may afirst thickness 718 at its superior aspect 710, a second thickness 720at a point generally mid-way between the structure's superior aspect 710and inferior aspect 712, and a third thickness 722 at its inferioraspect 712 to produce an overall average thickness. As shown thethickness towards the mid-point and inferior aspect 712 of the structure700 is generally greater than the thickness 718 at the superior aspect710 to mimic the natural breast shape of the wearer's breasts. It iscontemplated herein, that the structure 700 may have otherconfigurations. For instance, the thickness of the superior and inferioraspects 710 and 712 may be generally the same, where both of thesethicknesses may be less than the thickness 720. Alternatively, thestructure 700 may have a uniform thickness from its superior aspect 710to its inferior aspect 712. Any and all aspects, and any variationthereof, are contemplated as being within the scope herein.

Turning now to FIGS. 10-12, an alternative construction for a vibrationdamping structure is depicted in accordance with aspects herein. In anadditional aspect, and as shown in FIG. 10, a support garment 1000 maycomprise an exemplary vibration damping structure 1010 comprising aframe 1012 and a series of series of cross-linking elements 1014extending between the borders of the frame 1012. The frame 1012 and thecross-linking elements 1014 may have similar mechanical properties asdescribed for the vibration damping structures 105 and 116. As shown inFIG. 10, the vibration damping structure 1010 is positioned betweenbreast contacting surfaces of the support garment 1000 such that isfills or substantially fills the space defined by the medial aspects ofthe wearer's breasts and the wearer's sternum when the support garment1000 is in an as-worn configuration. It is contemplated herein, that thevibration damping structure 1010 may be fixedly attached to the supportgarment 1000 or removably attached to the support garment 1000. Any andall aspects, and any variation thereof, are contemplated as being withinaspects herein.

A view of the vibration damping structure 1010 in isolation is shown inFIGS. 11 and 12. With respect to FIG. 11, which illustrates a frontperspective view of the vibration damping structure 1010, it iscontemplated herein that the frame 1012 may extend continuously aroundthe vibration damping structure 1010. That is, it may extendcontinuously from a superior end of the vibration damping structure1010, along lateral sides of the vibration damping structure 1010, andalong the inferior end of the vibration damping structure. It is alsocontemplated herein, that the frame 1012 may comprise the lateral sideswithout the superior and inferior ends. The frame 1012 may be formed of,for instance a flexible plastic material (commonly known as “boning”)although other flexible materials are contemplated herein.

Continuing, the series of cross-linking elements 1014 extendtransversely across the frame 1012 from a first lateral side of theframe 1012 to a second lateral side of the frame 1012. In exemplaryaspects, the cross-linking elements 1014 may also be formed from aflexible plastic material (or other flexible material). Further, it iscontemplated herein that the frame 1012 and the cross-linking elements1014 may comprise a unitary and continuous structure formed through, forinstance, a molding process. It is also contemplated herein, that thecross-linking elements 1014 may comprise separate structures that arejoined to the frame 1012 using affixing technologies know in the art.Any and all aspects, and any variation thereof, are contemplated asbeing within aspects herein. When the vibration damping structure 1010is used within a support garment such as the support garment 1000, it iscontemplated herein that the vibration damping structure may besandwiched between or positioned between layers of material (e.g., afabric) before being incorporated into the support garment.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the cross-linking elements 1014 extendposteriorly with respect to the frame 1012 such that they bow or curveinwardly to at least partially occupy the space defined by the medialaspect of the wearer's breasts and the wearer's sternum. Similar to thevibration damping structure 700 of FIG. 7, it is contemplated hereinthat cross-linking elements 1014 positioned near the superior end of thevibration damping structure 1010 may not extend as far posteriorly asthe cross-linking elements 1014 positioned generally midway between thesuperior and inferior ends of the vibration damping structure 1010, orthe cross-linking elements 1014 positioned near the inferior end of thevibration damping structure 1010. As well, the cross-linking elements1014 positioned near the inferior end of the vibration damping structure1010 may not extend as far posteriorly as the cross-linking elements1014 positioned generally midway between the superior and inferior endsof the vibration damping structure 1010. Any and all aspects, and anyvariation thereof, are contemplated as being within aspects herein. Theconfiguration of the vibration damping structure 1010 not only helps toprevent medial-to-lateral sway of the wearer's breasts during movement,but also facilitates the movement of air and moisture vapor through thevibration damping structure 1010 helping to keep the wearer cool.

Aspects of the present disclosure have been described with the intent tobe illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative aspects will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from its scope.A skilled artisan may develop alternative means of implementing theaforementioned improvements without departing from the scope of thepresent invention.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are ofutility and may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims. Notall steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in thespecific order described.

What is claimed is:
 1. A support garment comprising: a front portion comprising: a pair of breast contacting surfaces, and a vibration damping structure positioned between the pair of breast contacting surfaces so that when the support garment is in an as-worn configuration the vibration damping structure is configured to occupy a space defined at least by a medial aspect of a wearer's breasts and the wearer's sternum, wherein the vibration damping structure comprises one or more air-filled pillows or bladders.
 2. The support garment of claim 1, wherein the vibration damping structure comprises a material that exhibits a stiffness of less than or equal to about 15 N/mm.
 3. The support garment of claim 2, wherein the vibration damping structure exhibits an energy return of from about 70% to about 90%.
 4. The support garment of claim 1, wherein the front portion further comprises a pocket positioned between the pair of breast contacting surfaces, and wherein the vibration damping structure is removably positioned within the pocket.
 5. The support garment of claim 1, wherein the vibration damping structure is positioned between at least a first layer of material and a second layer of material.
 6. The support garment of claim 1, wherein the vibration damping structure is directly affixed to an inner-facing surface of the front portion.
 7. The support garment of claim 1, wherein the vibration damping structure is positioned entirely between the pair of breast contacting surfaces.
 8. A support garment comprising: a front portion comprising: a pair of breast contacting surfaces, and a first vibration damping structure positioned entirely between the pair of breast contacting surfaces, wherein the first vibration damping structure comprises one or more air-filled pillows or bladders with a stiffness less than or equal to about 15 N/mm and an energy return characteristic from about 70% to about 90%.
 9. The support garment of claim 8, further comprising a second vibration damping structure positioned at a lateral aspect of each of the pair of breast contacting surfaces.
 10. The support garment of claim 9, wherein the second vibration damping structure continuously extends from the first vibration damping structure.
 11. The support garment of claim 9, wherein the second vibration damping structure has a stiffness less than or equal to about 15 N/mm and an energy return characteristic from about 70% to about 90%.
 12. The support garment of claim 9, wherein the second vibration damping structure comprises one or more air-filled pillows or bladders.
 13. The support garment of claim 8, wherein the first vibration damping structure has a shape configuration such that at least one of a superior and inferior portion of the first vibration damping structure has a larger width than an intermediate portion of the first vibration damping structure.
 14. The support garment of claim 8, wherein the first vibration damping structure has a shape configuration such that superior and inferior portions of the first vibration damping structure have a smaller width than an intermediate portion of the first vibration damping structure.
 15. The support garment of claim 9, wherein when the support garment is in an as-worn configuration, the first vibration damping structure is configured to occupy a space defined by a medial aspect of the wearer's breasts and the wearer's sternum.
 16. A support garment comprising: a front portion comprising: a pair of breast contacting surfaces, each breast contacting surface having an inner-facing surface and an outer-facing surface opposite the inner-facing surface, the inner-facing surface and the outer-facing surface of the each breast contacting surface defining a first average thickness therebetween, and a vibration damping structure positioned entirely between a medial aspect of the each of the pair of breast contacting surfaces, the vibration damping structure having an inner-facing surface and an outer-facing surface opposite the inner-facing surface, the inner-facing surface and the outer-facing surface of the vibration damping structure defining a second average thickness therebetween, wherein the second average thickness is greater than the first average thickness, and wherein the vibration damping structure comprises one or more air-filled pillows or bladders.
 17. The support garment of claim 16, wherein the second average thickness is at least twice the first average thickness.
 18. The support garment of claim 16, wherein when the support garment is in an as-worn configuration, the vibration damping structure is configured to engage at least the medial aspect of a wearer's breasts.
 19. The support garment of claim 16, wherein the support garment is a bra, and wherein the pair of breast contacting surfaces comprises a pair of breast cups.
 20. The support garment of claim 16, wherein the vibration damping structure comprises a material that has a stiffness less than or equal to about 15 N/mm and an energy return from about 70% to about 90%. 